Okay, so I know what you’re thinking, HOW?! But, when you’re in desperate need of a plus 1, don’t rule anything out. Before we get into my experience, we want to remind everyone to be smart and remain in public places, tell people where you’re going and who you’re going with – just in case. Be spontaneous but make sure that you always feel safe.

Getting a date is really easier than you think. I was going to a black tie event in Tampa Bay and I wanted a date to accompany me. I had a few guys I know would go, but I wanted to take someone new. So I posted an AD on Craigslist (yes Craigslist) for exactly what I was looking for and got my date in less than 20 minutes.

Be precise in what you are looking for

Within the AD describe in more detail

Post a good photo of you

Weed out responses quickly

If you’re not getting the responses you want, it might be your photos, your headline or you’re not describing in detail exactly what you want. Be honest with yourself – how are people really seeing you? Are you representing yourself honestly? Do you need to lose some weight? Get your hair done? Be the best you that you can be and you will attract a partner that you are worthy of and vice versa! Tinder is also a valuable resource for quick dates! Just swipe right for love!

Get more Offline dating tips with “10 Rules to Survive the Dating Jungle” today! Now available on Amazon.

Getting a date is really easier than you think. I was going to a black tie event in Tampa Bay and I wanted a date to accompany me. I had a few guys I know would go, but I wanted to take someone new. So I posted an AD on Craigslist (yes Craigslist) for exactly what I was looking for and got my date in less than 20 minutes.

Be precise in what you are looking for

Within the AD describe in more detail

Post a good photo of you

Weed out responses quickly

If you’re not getting the responses you want, it might be your photos, your headline or you’re not describing in detail exactly what you want. Be honest with yourself – how are people really seeing you? Are you representing yourself honestly? Do you need to lose some weight? Get your hair done? Be the best you that you can be and you will attract a partner that you are worthy of and vice versa! Tinder is also a valuable resource for quick dates! Just swipe right for love!

Get more Offline dating tips with “10 Rules to Survive the Dating Jungle” today! Now available on Amazon.

Before you can love someone, you have to love yourself. Having high self-esteem is one of the first steps of being ready for a healthy relationship. We all can’t have Kim Kardashian’s self-esteem. I mean come on, the woman has her own selfie book. Can’t get any more confident than that.

The following are tips that to help build continuous upward momentum towards higher self-esteem: (written by Jae Song & Tina Su on http://www.thinksimplenow.com)

Start Small – Start with something you can do immediately and easily. When we start with small successes, we build momentum to gain more confidence in our abilities. Each completed task, regardless of how small, is a building block towards a more confident you. What are some small actions you can take immediately to demonstrate that you are capable of achieving goals you’ve set for yourself? For example, clean your desk, organize your papers, or pay all your bills.

Create a Compelling Vision – Use the power of your imagination. Create an image of yourself as the confident and self-assured person you aspire to become. When you are this person, how will you feel? How will others perceive you? What does your body language look like? Write a description of this person and all the attributes you’ve observed.

Socialize – Get out of the house or setup a lunch date with a friend. Socializing with others will give us opportunities to connect with other people, and practice our communication and interpersonal skills.

Set Goals – According to a study done at Virginia Tech, 80% of Americans say that they don’t have goals. And the people who regularly write down their goals earn nine times as much over their lifetime as people who don’t. By setting goals that are clear and actionable, you have a clear target of where you want to be.

For the rest of the tips for building your self-esteem get your copy of “10 Rules to Survive the Internet Dating Jungle” here! Utilize Certified Dating Coach, Tara Richter’s, 10 rules to help you navigate your way through internet dating sites to find your loving Jane or Tarzan.

Get more Offline dating tips with “10 Rules to Survive the Dating Jungle” today! Now available on Amazon.

In the chaos of the upcoming election it seems as though our political stances are becoming a new topic in the dating world. Since when did talking about your political affiliation turn into a topic for your first date? In general, politics should stay out of the mix – at least for the first few dates… unless you’re a government official. The divide between Trump and Clinton supporters has been, what seems to be, the most heated in election history. Whether you’re for or against Trump, his supporters are having a problem finding their perfect match outside of the rallies. They can’t seem to find anyone who can match their same passion and support for theirRepublican presidential candidate. That’s where TrumpSingles.com comes in “Make Dating Great Again!” I guess there won’t be any walls built around hearts on this site…

The site itself has been shutdown – for unknown reasons but the Facebook page Singles for Trump is still going strong with over 2,650 likes. The Facebook page posts information about single Trump supporters along with other posts that read “So, you just wasted another unfulfilled Saturday night hooking up with a Clinton-Supporting Dud, who listened to Arcade Fire on repeat and mumbled “Mommy” in his sleep. Girlfriend, there’s a far better way to quench your thirst and find a real man. The best dagum dating site on Facebook, Singles For Trump!”

I am in no way supporting this site, nor would you find my profile posted, but for the sake of you Trump supporters who are trying to find love – there is still hope.

Cassandra got the first one on one date where they took a water car to go boating. Then they went to his house where they danced and talked by a fire. At the end he gave her a rose which she (obviously) accepted. She also wouldn’t stop mentioning that this was the first real date she has been on in 3 years, since she was 18 years old.

Back at the house, Elise and Chelsea (both teachers) were the only ones not called for a group date that haven’t had a one on one date yet.

The group date started off playing soccer at a professional stadium where the game got as messy and dysfunctional as you could probably imagine. At night the cocktail party continued at the stadium, only in better attire. He made out with both Andi and Sharleen during alone time, but ended up giving the rose to Nikki, someone he spent time with but didn’t kiss throughout the night.

Chelsea ended up getting the one on one date; they got lunch then went Tandem bungee-jumping. She got so scared she was crying and trying to back out, questioning whether or not she could do it, but Juan asked her to “do it for him.” Once she felt like she could trust him she agreed to do it. They took the jump, had a blast and shared their first kiss hanging upside down. Later in the date they went to dinner, she got a rose then enjoyed a concert by Billy Currington.

Juan came to the house to make the girls a Venezuela breakfast before having a pool party where many of the girls got annoyed with Kat for stealing a lot of the attention. Sharleen, again, started to have a difficult time when she begins questioning if she’s the right type of girl for him. When she talks to him about it she starts crying and he kisses, comforts and reassures her to just be herself. Their alone time sparks some attention and jealousy from the rest of the girls, especially Clare who starts crying about feeling like she is “fading into the background.” She got some alone time with Juan and he made her feel more relaxed.

At the rose ceremony, Lucy (the “free spirit”) and Christy (“Marketing Manager”) get sent home.

The show begins with an one-on- one date between Juan and Clare to fake “winter wonderland”where they go sledding and ice-skating. Meanwhile, at the mansion the other women were starting to see a different, wild side of Lucy when she was comfortable enough around them to take off her top in the hot tub for no apparent reason.

On their date Clare opens up about the type of amazing her father was and how she feels like its difficult finding a man who lives up to that. Juan offers her a rose at the end of the date, topped off with Josh Crasvik playing live for them.

Kat is picked for the second one-on-one date. They begin on a private jet, where he has them change into neon clothing attire and end up the Electric Run in Salt Lake City, Utah.

At the house the girls get their first group date card: Chelsie, Kristie, Kelly, Cassandra, Andi, Renee, Lauren, Alli, Chantel, Nikki, Elise, Victoria, Lucy. The only ones who didn’t get a date card were three women. The group date was a photoshoot with dogs for a charity. Two women get very upset when they’re asked to put on barely-there outfita (one an elementary school teacher and the other a distract attorney). Juan ends up talking the distract attorney about it, making her feel better because he was going to do it with her.

Victoria has way too much to drink at the cocktail hour of the group date and actually says that if she gets a chance to she is going to straddle Juan Pablo every day because “that’s what life is about… straddling people.” She ends up in the bathroom, hysterically crying on the floor about how she wants to go home. Juan visits her in the hotel room the next morning and sends her home before the rose ceremony.

Cassandra gets really upset and starts crying. Juan comes in to talk to her about the fact that she is missing her son, but reassures he wants her there.

The two women to be sent home were Amy L. and Chantel, both who had surprisingly mature departures. Sunday night sill be a special on previous Bachelor couples, including Sean and Catherine’s wedding. Monday night previews him going on several tights, one bungee jumping, one at a professional soccer field, and the claws start to come out between the women.

Tonight was the official two hour season premiere of ABC’s The Bachelor (Season 18) with Juan Pablo, the first non-Caucasian Bachelor EVER. Last night was the Countdown to Juan Pablo special where we got to meet some of the 25 contestants, see Juan Pablo in his hometown of Miami with his family, and got a sneak peek into what we should expect from this season. If you missed it, you can get the special recap here.

The premiere kicks off with Juan getting some advice from the last Bachelor, Sean Lowe. Lowe advises him to be in the moment, only kiss women if the other women won’t see, and to not freak out when he starts developing feelings for more than one woman at once.

After being kicked off on Week 6 of Desiree’s season, Juan is ready to find a wife who “understands and appreciates family.” And he has an interesting pool of women to choose from (full cast and bios at the end). Instead of the usual 25 girls, he gets to choose from 27.

During the cocktail party they have a dance party and a photobooth. Juan gets a massage (and slightly molested) by one girl. Another girl, Lauren H., begins hysterically crying when she realizes how hard it is getting alone time with Juan and feels like a lot of her insecurities begin to surface throughout the night. When she finally gets alone time with him she uses it to talk about these insecurities, her failed engagement, and heartbreak over losing her ex’s son. Both end up getting sent home.

He gives the first impression rose to Sharleen (opera singer), who tells the cameras that she was slightly disappointed because she didn’t feel the instant spark with Juan like she was expecting.

Previews for the upcoming season include the usual romantic adventures and crying women, as well as girl fights, Juan getting pissed on multiple occasions, and one girl even saying “I hope he dies.”

The Bachelor Season 18 Cast & Bios

Alexis, 24, Communications Director, Tampa, Fl

Alli, 26, Miami OH university graduate from Chicago, IL (comes out with a soccer ball to show him that she also plays soccer)

Tonight was part 1 of The Bachelor Season 18 premier: Countdown to Juan Pablo. The show begins with clips of the girls’ casting videos and highlighting some of their talents, which ranged from opera singing and hula-hooping to trumpet playing and head stands. One girl even put her fist in her mouth. They also revealed some of the girls’ reactions when Chris Harrison and the camera crew go to surprise the women and tell them they have officially been selected as Bachelor contestants. As always, the majority of the girls express their eagerness to meet their “future husband”. Many of them also talk about wanting to learn Spanish to impress him.

Juan Pablo, 32, is a former professional soccer player from Venezuela and is also a single dad. After being kicked off after Week 6 of DesireeHartsock‘s season, Juan is now the first non-Caucasian Bachelor(ette).

We’re also given a little peak into Juan’s life in hometown Miami, FL. While the highlights show him working out, playing soccer and practicing his English, it is very clear that his number one priority in his life is his daughter– 4 year old Camila. It is quite endearing to see how much he enjoys spending time and playing with his daughter, and he is quick to gush about his appreciation for her and the importance she plays in his life. He says he is hoping for more kids and a step mom for Camila. Juan introduces viewers to his large and “crazy” Miami family– from aunts and uncles to grandparents and cousins– some of who offered some advice to him– like waiting 15 minutes and brushing his teeth in between make out sessions, and to be extremely patient.

Gia also got a special segment of the show for the Bachelor family to remember and honor her. It included clips of Gia talking about her perspective on love (“I love anyone who allows me to love them”), friendships (“I love everyone, I am honest, I would give someone the shirt of my back, and I want the best for the people in my life”), and past Bachelor cast members sharing their memories with and about Gia before she passed away in 2013 from suicide.

At the end, a sneak peak of the upcoming season is revealed, including Juan getting advice from Sean Lowe, the first cocktail night, romantic and adventurous dates and, of course, the usual string of gossip, crying, and backstabbing.

As America watched the season finale of The Bachelorette last Monday night and we were all baffled at her quick turn around time from having her heart broken to becoming engaged to Chris. I listened to Des & Chris being interviewed on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show yesterday & his co-host really dug into how she could flip her feelings back & forth so quickly. I could hear the pain within Desiree’s voice as she answered the question. I’m sure she’s had to explain herself many times over now throughout various media outlets.

I think we all need to give Des a break. Ok while we are sitting on our couch with our glass of wine and box of kleenex feeling her pain of rejection from Brooks one minute then seeing her accept Chris’ ring the next makes us wonder if it’s true. Well the fact of it is, in real time she didn’t make up her mind within 30 minutes. We are seeing a condensed version of what really happened. However, there were days and weeks in-between one indecent and the other happening.

Plus what else is she supposed to do? Be heartbroken for the rest of her life because one guy she feel in love with didn’t love her back? This happens everyday in real life, we love someone and they do not return our love. We can sit picking up the pieces for years and feel sorry for ourselves, or we can heal ourselves in quick time frame and move on.

She was lucky enough to have 2 other guys in love with her that she had to re-evaluate her situation and her feelings for. It’s a smart decision to refocus her energy on who does love her. Sometimes we stand looking at the door that was shut on us and forget to look to the future and the new opportunities ahead of us. There’s nothing wrong with this. The last time I had my heart broken I wish I had 2 other guys waiting for me to tell me what a wonderful human being I was & wanted me to be happy. I would have gotten over my heartbreak a whole lot faster. I’m not saying to jump into one relationship right after another but have an open mind to other opportunities and not drowning in your sorrow. Heal your wounds and move on.